According to research, about half of all bladder cancer cases diagnosed in the United States are the result of cigarette smoking. The disease is the second most common tobacco-related malignancy, a fact that is not well known among the general public. “Quitting smoking after being diagnosed with cancer can prolong survival, improve prognosis, and decrease the risk of developing second cancers,” says Jeffrey C. Bassett, MD, MPH. “Ensuring that patients are aware of the relationship between smoking and bladder cancer is paramount to their diagnosis being a ‘teachable moment’ to quit.” Few studies have looked at tobacco use knowledge and attribution of cause in patients with newly diagnosed bladder cancer. In a study published in Cancer, Dr. Bassett and colleagues sought to characterize patients’ knowledge of the link between tobacco use and bladder cancer risk using 2006-2009 data obtained from 790 respondents from the California Cancer Registry. The authors also looked at the impact of different sources of information on patients’ knowledge and beliefs regarding the cause of their bladder cancer. Degrees of Knowledge The study found that 68% of patients had a history of tobacco use, and 19% were active smokers when they were diagnosed with bladder cancer. Tobacco use was the most cited risk factor for bladder cancer, but active smokers were more knowledgeable on this association than former or non- smokers (90% vs 64% vs 61%, respectively). “Urologists also played a critical role in ensuring patients’ knowledge of the connection between smoking and bladder cancer,” Dr. Bassett says. The study showed that urologists were patients’ predominant source of information and were cited most often by active...

An international investigation has found that cumulative smoking history appears to be an independent risk factor for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer recurrence and progression. When compared with current smoking, cessation of more than 10 years before treatment was shown to decrease the risk of disease recurrence. Abstract: Journal of Urology, December...